Dust catcher and sampler for use with a mining drilling apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to an accessory for a drilling apparatus for drilling holes into the ground and into which explosives can be filled for blasting purposes. Such drilling commonly occurs in open cast mining for mining of mineral deposits. It is known to take samples from materials blown from holes during drilling, permitting analysis of the samples in order to estimate accurately the mineral content in the area being mined. The accessory is operatively supported on a drilling apparatus and includes a dust particle catcher, for catching dust particles blown from a hole to form dust particle samples, and a collection arrangement including receptacles in which dust particle samples are collected. A control arrangement of the accessory controls the operation thereof and serves also to enable the hole and the depth region of the hole, from which each sample was collected, to be identified.

1. An accessory for use with a drilling apparatus, which includes an accessory support structure that can be mounted on the support structure of a drilling apparatus in a location where it is exposed to dust particles blown from a hole drilled by the drilling apparatus, in use of the drilling apparatus; a dust particle catcher mounted on the accessory support structure in a configuration in which, with the accessory support structure mounted on the support structure of a drilling apparatus and during drilling of a hole, it can catch dust particles to form a dust particle sample and discharge the dust particle sample into a receptacle; and a control arrangement that can control the operation of the dust particle catcher for forming dust particle samples representative of depth segments of a hole being drilled by a drilling apparatus on the support structure of which the accessory support structure is operatively mounted. 
     
     
       2. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the accessory support structure is mounted on the deck of the support structure of a drilling apparatus, to be disposed operatively beneath the deck. 
     
     
       3. An accessory as claimed in  claim 2 , which includes a first displacement means for displacing the position of the dust particle catcher mounted on the accessory support structure, with the accessory support structure mounted on the deck of the support structure of a drilling apparatus, between an operative configuration, in which it can catch dust particles, and an inoperative configuration, in which it is closely spaced beneath the deck of the support structure of the drilling apparatus. 
     
     
       4. An accessory as claimed in  claim 3 , in which the control arrangement controls the operation of the first displacement means. 
     
     
       5. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the dust particle catcher includes a vessel formation that is pivotally displaceable between a catching configuration, in which it can catch dust particles thereon for forming a dust particle sample, and a discharge configuration, in which a dust particle sample is displaced from the vessel formation into a receptacle. 
     
     
       6. An accessory as claimed in  claim 5 , which includes a second displacement means for pivotally displacing the vessel formation of the dust particle catcher between its catching configuration and its discharge configuration. 
     
     
       7. An accessory as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the control arrangement controls the operation of the second displacement means. 
     
     
       8. An accessory as claimed in  claim 5 , in which the vessel formation of the dust particle catcher is displaceable from a first location, where it is disposed in its catching configuration and in a location where it can catch dust particles for forming a dust particle sample, and a second location displaced from the first location, where it is displaceable into its discharge configuration for discharging a dust particle sample into a receptacle. 
     
     
       9. An accessory as claimed in  claim 8 , which includes a third displacement means for displacing the vessel formation of the dust particle catcher between its first location and its second location. 
     
     
       10. An accessory as claimed in  claim 9 , in which the control arrangement controls the operation of the third displacement means. 
     
     
       11. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes a receptacle carrier mounted on the accessory support structure and that is configured to carry at least one receptacle in a location where it can receive a dust particle sample caught by the dust particle catcher. 
     
     
       12. An accessory as claimed in  claim 11 , in which the receptacle carrier can removably carry a plurality of receptacles and in which the carrier is displaceable with respect to the accessory support structure in a configuration in which receptacles carried thereby are alternately disposed in a position with respect to the dust particle catcher to receive a dust particle sample therefrom. 
     
     
       13. An accessory as claimed in  claim 12 , in which the receptacle carrier comprises a rotatable carousel-type structure that removably carries a plurality of receptacles and that, through rotation, alternately displaces a different receptacle carried thereby into a position in which it can receive a dust particle sample therein from the dust particle catcher. 
     
     
       14. An accessory as claimed in  claim 12 , which includes a fourth displacement means for displacing the receptacle carrier with respect to the support structure between positions in which receptacles carried thereby are alternately positioned with respect to the dust particle catcher to receive a dust particle sample therein. 
     
     
       15. An accessory as claimed in  claim 14 , in which the control arrangement controls the operation of the fourth displacement means. 
     
     
       16. An accessory as claimed in  claim 12 , which includes receptacles to be removably carried by the receptacle carrier and in which the receptacles comprise any one of receptacle bags and bottles, that can be closed for containing dust particle samples therein. 
     
     
       17. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the control arrangement, in use of the accessory, is operatively linked with a programmed logic controller that is programmed to facilitate the identification of dust particle samples collected in receptacles in terms of particular holes drilled from which the samples are collected and the depth ranges of each particular hole drilled, from which samples are collected. 
     
     
       18. An accessory as claimed in  claim 17 , in which the control arrangement is operatively linked with a programmed logic controller that forms a part of the accessory. 
     
     
       19. An accessory as claimed in  claim 17 , in which the programmed logic controller is operatively linked with the drilling apparatus with which the accessory of the invention is operatively associated for facilitating the operation of the accessory in terms of taking dust particle samples in response to the actual drilling of a hole in the ground. 
     
     
       20. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes sample identifier means for identifying dust particle samples taken by the accessory. 
     
     
       21. An accessory as claimed in  claim 20 , in which the sample identifier means is configured to utilize RFID technology, each receptacle for receiving a dust particle sample during use of the accessory carrying a RFID tag to which required information is transferred for identifying the location of a hole and the depth range of the hole, from which a dust particle sample has been taken and received in the receptacle. 
     
     
       22. An accessory as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes a RFID feeder device for feeding RFID tags into receptacles in which dust particle samples are collected, in use of the accessory, the feeder device serving also to transfer required information to the memories of the RFID tags for identifying the location of a hole being drilled and the depth segment of the hole from which a dust particle sample has been taken. 
     
     
       23. A drilling apparatus that is adapted for use with an accessory as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
       24. A drilling apparatus which includes an accessory, as claimed in  claim 1 , as part thereof.